Can’t decide between pizza night and a Caesar salad? Have both! This easy Caesar Salad Pizza recipe piles chicken, bacon, croutons, romaine, and Caesar dressing on naan for a quick weeknight dinner or lazy lunch.
Why you’ll love this recipe!
The dream team in one meal – Pizza and chicken Caesar salad get together in this two-for-one meal!
No mess, no stress – With no messy dough and barely any cleanup, this meal skips the stress when you’re craving something fresh, healthy-ish, and easy to put together.
20-minute pizza recipe – Thanks to a few shortcuts, like my pre-cooked shredded chicken and store-bought naan, this fresh flatbread pizza comes together faster than delivery or frozen pizza.
Caesar salad! On a pizza! What could be better?!
This Caesar Salad Pizza has everything my grilled chicken Caesar salad has going for it, like Caesar dressing, chicken, romaine, croutons, parmesan, and bacon, all piled on top of naan. The bread is chewy, the chicken is filling, and the garlicky flavors are something I crave pretty much every day.
Like my weeknight veggie pizza and this brussels sprouts pizza, this is the meal I want when I want to ease back into healthy eating but just can’t bring myself to sacrifice pizza or commit to a bland salad life. If you ask me, there’s no better compromise!
Caesar Salad Pizza Ingredients
Naan – My favorite pizza dough alternative! I used classic naan, but garlic-flavored would also be perfect here. If you can’t find it, use pita or lavash flatbread instead.
Caesar dressing – This recipe swaps the tomatoey pizza sauce for Caesar dressing. I like making my Greek yogurt-based healthy Caesar dressing for this pizza because it’s on the lighter side. Any store-bought dressing will work, though.
Shredded chicken – You can cook and shred your own chicken or shred a store-bought rotisserie chicken to save time. Leftover baked, grilled, or pan-seared chicken breasts, chopped into bite-size cubes, work well here, too!
Sourdough bread – I made the homemade croutons with toasted cubes of sourdough, but any crusty bread, like a baguette or ciabatta, will do.
This list is to provide further clarification on a few of the ingredients. See the recipe card below for the full ingredient list.
Variations
- Vegetarian option – Ditch the chicken and bacon, or swap them for tempeh bacon and crispy chickpeas.
- Extra cheese – Pair the parmesan cheese with Pecorino Romano, mozzarella, or crumbled feta.
- Instead of naan, assemble your pizzas on store-bought mini pizza crusts or rolled pizza dough. Just bake and let them cool slightly before adding the cold toppings.
- Add more Caesar-inspired toppings, like freshly cracked black pepper, red pepper flakes, anchovies, capers, pepitas, sunflower seeds, or pickled red onions.
How to Make Caesar Salad Pizza
Step 1: Cook the chicken. Make the shredded chicken or shred a store-bought rotisserie chicken.
Step 2: Make the dressing. Whisk a batch of my homemade Caesar dressing together.
Step 3: Toast the croutons. Place the sourdough cubes on a baking sheet, then toast them under the broiler until they’re golden and crispy.
Step 4: Cook the bacon. Pan-fry the bacon until crispy. Chop the slices into bite-size pieces.
Step 5: Assemble the pizzas. Spread some of the dressing on the naan, then top with chicken, bacon, croutons, and romaine lettuce. Garnish with parmesan and extra dressing.
Step 6: Slice and serve. Use a pizza cutter to slice the pizza, then serve and enjoy!
Erin’s Tips and Tricks
- Did you opt for store-bought dressing? To make things a tad more garlicky, sprinkle a minced garlic clove over each pizza. It’s delicious, trust me!
- Dry the romaine really well, either in a salad spinner or by patting it with paper towels. Any excess water will water down the dressing and make your pizza soggy.
- For the best results, I recommend assembling the pizzas right before serving. Caesar salad pizza isn’t great made ahead of time!
My Pro Tip
If you like your pizza crust extra crispy, toast your naan in the oven at 400°F for a few minutes. Or, for even more flavor, brush it with a little olive oil and grill it over medium-high heat for 1 to 2 minutes per side.
Remember to let the toasted naan cool slightly before assembling the pizzas. If it’s hot, your creamy dressing will turn into a liquidy, oily mess, and the romaine will wilt.
Storage
Make Ahead: While I wouldn’t make the pizzas in advance, I would store each component in separate containers for my meal prep.
Refrigerator: Any leftovers can be stored in an airtight container in the fridge for 1 to 2 days.
More Pizza Recipes
If you made this recipe, be sure to leave a comment and star rating below. Thanks!
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Start by cooking the chicken. If you’re using store-bought rotisserie chicken, you can skip this step. Otherwise, follow this simple tutorial on how to make shredded chicken.
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Next, make this homemade caesar dressing. Or, use your favorite store-bought dressing. If using store-bought dressing, I suggest adding a minced garlic clove to the naan so the pizza is a tad more garlicky. Just a suggestion!
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Next, cube the sourdough bread very small, then place it on a baking sheet. Broil in the oven for 3 minutes, then flip it over and broil for 2 more minutes.
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Cook the bacon in a skillet over medium-low heat until it’s crispy. Transfer to a paper towel and once it’s cool enough to handle, chop it into bite-size pieces.
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Now, assemble the pizzas: spread 2-3 tablespoons of caesar dressing all over each piece of naan. If you’re using store-bought dressing, go ahead and sprinkle a little bit of minced garlic over the dressing as well.
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Top each piece with a little of the chicken, the bacon, the croutons, and the romaine. Last, sprinkle with parmesan cheese and a little extra caesar dressing. Enjoy!
*Calories are per serving and are an estimation
Calories: 500kcal | Carbohydrates: 59g | Protein: 27g | Fat: 15g | Saturated Fat: 4g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g | Monounsaturated Fat: 2g | Cholesterol: 63mg | Sodium: 901mg | Potassium: 160mg | Fiber: 2g | Sugar: 4g | Vitamin A: 29IU | Calcium: 87mg | Iron: 1mg
